Heat, Thunder, NBA Finals... Get Used To IT...

By Haz Bey

We are all "Witnesses" (no pun intended Bron-Bron) to this historical event.  A new era in the NBA is starting right before our eyes.  With Kobe's Lakers & Duncan's Spurs out the Finals for back-to-back seasons for the first time since  MJ's Bulls had the league on smash, the NBA has a match-up of teams led by true elite talents.  LeBron James, Kevin Durant & Dwyane Wade are arguably the 3 of the 4 best players in the league.  With Kobe Bryant, while still playing at a elite level, on the downside of his career, the torch that represents the league's best player must be passed.  LeBron & D-Wade are leading the Miami Heat back to the Finals for a second year in a row after blowing a 2-1 lead to the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks, while Kevin Durant with the help of rising stars Russell Wesbrook & James Harden making a historic run to the Finals by eliminating the Mavs, Lakers & Spurs.  Winners of 10 of the last 13 NBA Finals since 1998.

All of the attention will surround around the match-up between 3-time league MVP LeBron James & reigning 3-time scoring champ Kevin Durant.  The last few times such elite talent squared off for the world championship was in 2008 & 2010 when Kobe's Lakers faced off against the Big 3 now Big 4 of Boston, 2001 when Shaq & Kobe's Lakers ousted Allen Iverson's 76ers in 5 games, The Bulls match up with Magic's Lakers, Barkley's Suns & Stockton & Malone's Jazz in the 90's & Hakeem's Rockets sweeping Shaq & Penny's Orlando Magic in 1995.  But to understand the magnitude of how significant this years Finals match-up between the Heat & the Thunder, we  have to go back to the years 1984-1987 when the Larry Bird's Celtics faced off with Magic Johnson's Lakers for 3 memorable series that made the NBA what it is today.  Magic & Larry were considered the two best players in the league and their legendary match-ups settled the question on who was better between the two.  Magic's Lakers won 2 of 3 Finals series against the Celtics and forever solidifying Magic's place as the NBA's best player title over Larry Bird.  The best thing about all this is that they were able to settle it on the court.  See in the NBA, more so in every other American professional sports league, winning the ring means everything.  More so than career numbers.  When you are an elite talent in the NBA, with the right pieces around you, you should be able to win multiple championships.  Look at all the greats, MJ, Magic, Bird, Russell, Kareem, Kobe, Shaq, Wilt, Hakeem & Duncan have all won at least two titles while playing at a elite level.  Winning multiple champions doesn't happen by accident in the NBA, it happens to the flat out best players in the league.  That is what history has shown us.  This is fact people.  I love the Barkleys, Ewings, Wilkins, Iversons, Millers, Stocktons & Malones of the world, but to not have a title under your belt is a huge disappointment, but their teams got beaten year after year by team's that had better talent (mainly Michael Jordan is responsible for all, but one of the people I have listed with Shaq & Kobe handling the rest).  That is no accident.  

Fast forward back to this year's NBA Finals.  A lot of pressure is on LeBron to get his first of what should be many rings, but their is no pressure of Kevin Durant.  If LeBron loses he has to deal what a ton of scrutiny, but if Durant loses, the media will look at the fact that Kevin Durant is only 23 years old and his best years are yet to come.  On the flip-side though, whoever wins will at least for 1 season own the NBA as the league's best player, well unless, Dwyane Wade dominates the Finals like he did in 2006 (Finals MVP) and in last year's Finals for the first 4 games of series before he suffered an injury in game 5.  And let's not forget that these teams are primed to make NBA Finals appearance for the next 5 years, a rivalry like the Lakers & Celtics could be in the making, which could take the NBA to levels of excitement we haven't seen in years.